Published: 2025-06-01
So I started with the Computer Programming and Analysis course on the Kingston Campus since well.. I live in Kingston.
St Lawrence College wasn’t my top choice, I wanted to go to Queen’s but that option was taken away from me in Highschool
thanks to some discrimination around my “disability”, which is a topic for another time. So I didn’t have the prerequisites to study there.
Money.
Partially kidding… Yeah, money is a motivator, but really I like just.. making things.
I think its satisfying when stuff starts working after building it up and troubleshooting it for a while.
It’s a great feeling and computer science just scratches that itch for me.
I just started my second semester in year 2, but so far it has its highs and lows. The professors are generally pretty good. I’ve had an issue
with one or two but honestly it doesn’t really matter as it was just a personal gripe with their teaching style.
The course content is alright, personally I don’t see the use in courses like Career Strategies. But things like COBOL programming and the C++
courses have been great. So far my favourite has been the GUI development with C#. But that may change as I am deeply interested in what they have
in store for the game development course this semester.
The people here are great, I’ve made a number of friends who have the same interest in computer science as I do so working in group projects is a blast.
I am slightly nervous for the Job Placement program, which is supposed to get us experience in the workforce, which is great,
but ever since I started I’ve only ever heard conflicting information about it from the professors and from year 3 students actively in placement.
The professors told us not to expect paid positions but the year 3 students tell us all positions are paid, at first we were told placement was
pretty much garaunteed for us but now we are told it’s about 50/50.
The real thing that shivers my timbers about job placement is that I will need to quit my current job to take it. So if it isn’t paid, or the
hours arent enough (we are told to expect 18 hours/week), or if I don’t even get a placement I may be screwed.